12 volt problems

[SMPLSGUY]

The fans, whether Fantastic Fans, furnace fan, etc as well as the lights in my bathroom dim on occasion, for maybe 7 or 8 seconds. I replaced an old battery, and my converter is an Intellipower that I put in around 2005. Is my converter bad/going bad or is something else wrong? I keep my Airstream at an Airstream Park when not travelling and use it alot there, when I pulled it a few hundred miles earlier in the summer I didn't notice the dimming for quite a while, which makes me suspect the converter...any ideas??

[TG Twinkie]

Check the connections at the battery and at the Converter. Also check the common/ground connection to the trailer chassis. There may be a fuse on the common/ ground between the negative battery lead and the chassis. If it is a glass fuse, it could be lose in the holder.

[SMPLSGUY]

Thanks for the advice. Where does the ground wire connect to the chassis? Its a 34 ft 1991 Anniversary Classic...

[Skater]

Are you sure it's not in bulk mode? Mine will jack up the voltage for a minute or so, then let it drop for a bit while it measures the voltage of the battery, then kick the voltage back up if it needs to. It's a little unnerving but basically normal. If it's doing it continuously all day, every day, then I'd suspect something like a bad battery.

[SMPLSGUY]

The fans slow down for a period, so would that be indicative of the bulk mode? Interval frequency varies.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by AirstreamFan

The fans slow down for a period, so would that be indicative of the bulk mode? Interval frequency varies.

It might be. Ours cycles like I described. This happens most often when I restart the converter after being a show off by turning off the converter during the day and letting the solar system recharge the batteries, but it doesn't fully recharge them either due to a lack of sun or we're using more battery power than the panels are producing. When I turn it back on that night, the lights glow brightly and the fans speed up, then they dim/slow for a moment, then back up, etc. The cycle continues for some time, depending on how low the batteries are.